It is well known that fluid flow through piping or tubular goods can cause damage to such piping/tubular goods by corrosion, erosion and/or other forces. This phenomenon is very common throughout many different applications, but it is particularly common in the oil and gas industry. In such applications, iron in steel pipes and/or other conduits (such as flow lines and the like) will frequently corrode in the presence of corrosive materials that are by-products of hydrocarbon fluid production including, without limitation, oxygen, carbon dioxide and/or hydrogen sulfide.
Such corrosion, which is at least partially electrochemical in nature, can be enhanced or accelerated by the presence of aqueous fluid (such as, for example, produced water) that is frequently generated alongside hydrocarbons during the production of oil and/or natural gas. Further, many oil and gas production installations and related components (wellheads, flow lines, pipelines and the like) can have cathodic protection systems, wherein electrical current is applied to said components and one or more anodes are utilized. Said cathodic protection systems, which are well known to those having skill in the art, can also act to enhance or accelerate corrosion when aqueous fluid and/or carbonic acid is present.
Within such aqueous fluid(s), corroding agents such as carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide can lead to significant corrosion problems. Additionally, such carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide can often combine with water to form carbonic acid and dissolved hydrogen sulfide. The formation of such acids further increases the rate of corrosion of surrounding metal piping.
The negative consequences of such corrosion can be many and varied; the impact of such corrosion on the safe, reliable and efficient operation of fluid conduits and related systems can be more serious than the simple loss of metal mass or pipeline wall thickness. In many cases, significant negative consequences, often requiring expensive remedial efforts, may occur even though the amount of metal destroyed is relatively small. For example, reduction of metal thickness in a pressurized fluid conduit can lead to loss of mechanical strength and structural failure or breakdown.
In order to combat corrosion, it is frequently beneficial to interrupt electrical conductivity of metal conduits (such as surrounding pipelines, flow lines and/or other tubular goods) that contain and are in contact with such fluids and accompanying corrosive materials. One common method for interrupting such electrical conductivity is to install a non-conductive material at one or more locations along the length of said conduit to interrupt such continuous conductive material. However, conventional methods of attempting to interrupt such conductive material can be expensive, difficult to install and/or maintain, and frequently do not yield satisfactory results.
Thus, there is a need for an effective, inexpensive and user-friendly means for interrupting electrical conductivity of a fluid conduit. Such means for interrupting electrical conductivity should be easy to install and maintain, and should interrupt or break electrical conductivity at desired location(s) along the length of said fluid conduit.